Reindeer in September
by LoveChilde
Summary: They never needed to call each other. DuncanLogan friendship


A/N: Okay, I give up. I've sold my soul, and I don't care. This one hit me around knee height and wouldn't let go until it was written. Spoilers up to An Echols Family Christmas, at least. No 'ship. Not mine. Rob Thomas is hereby added to the pantheon of TV gods.

There was never a question about it. In fact, thinking back as the stood together, nearly fully undressed and starting to get cold in his room, Logan realized neither of them had probably thought about it at all. It simply happened, as natural as breathing, because it was Christmas, and it was Duncan, and there was no other choice at all.

He remembered the day as clearly as anything I that last month before Lilly died. The second week of school, and it was still warm enough to sit on the beach in next to nothing and enjoy the afternoon sun. All four of them- Duncan with Veronica, him with Lilly, were there, in shorts and skimpy shirts, celebrating Duncan's birthday and Logan and Lilly's second anniversary. They'd been having a 'good' couple of weeks, since school started. No fights, no jealousy, no problems yet, thankfully, and Lilly was already slightly tipsy on a sixpack of beer Logan had sneaked away from home and Duncan's real Jack Daniels, as opposed to the iced tea both Logan and Veronica knew he drank, as designated driver for later. They could walk home, sure, but why not save themselves the embarrassment if Duncan always volunteered not to drink? She sat in Logan's lap, her hands loosely clasped behind his neck, his arms around her waist. Veronica was sitting with her back against Duncan's chest, holding on to one of his hands resting in her lap. It was a good memory.

"Gifties!" Lilly had declared as the sun started to set into the ocean. Hers first, of course. Logan patted down his nonexistent pockets, pretending to be alarmed.

"Lil, I don't think it's here. Must've left it in my locker or somewhere." He said at last, sadly. Duncan winked at him over Lilly's shoulder as her face clouded in anger.

"That better be a joke, Logan…" She warned, and he gave her an unrepentant grin and reached around her to take the small box Duncan pulled out of his pocket.

"Keep my day-job, you say?" He sighed theatrically, "There goes another lifelong ambition, with my dreams of becoming a famed comedian." He presented the box to her with a flourish, "Happy anniversary, sweetcheeks."

"You're a bastard, Logan." She slapped his chest, not very hard but enough to sting, then kissed him loudly before ripping into the wrapping on the box. "Keep that job, and keep me around to pull your foot out of your mouth occasionally." She pulled out the kitten-shaped pendant dangling from a golden chain and squealed happily, kissing Logan again. "And for hot sex, of course. Thank you, you're the best!"

"I am, yeah." He agreed, grinning at the success of his gift. At least, difficult though Lilly was, she was very easy to shop for, and she did know how to show her gratitude. "And the sex? It's worth it all."

"Watch it, man, that's my sister you're talking to." Duncan warned good naturedly. The only gift he'd have would be from Veronica, and given privately, since she'd asked. Duncan looked like he expected to take an extra step in their relationship that night, and about time too, in Logan's opinion.

"Yeah, and she loves it." Lilly announced. "Oh- I have my gift for both of you!" She hopped up, brushed sand off herself and skipped off towards the car. Veronica looked after her, wide-eyed.

"Lilly- you didn't, did you?" She asked, a halfway horrified expression on her face. "You did, didn't you?" She rolled away from Duncan, giggling madly, waving away the boys' questions with a gasped "Wait and see." Until Lilly came back and tossed a brightly wrapped object into both their laps.

"Happy birthday, brother dear," She kissed Duncan on the cheek, "And happy anniversary, studmuffin." A deeper smooch on Logan's lips as she took back her seat in his lap, holding the package out to him. "C'mon, open it!"

They did. They opened the packages, stared at them, then stared at each other, then at Lilly. Veronica looked at them both, barely holding back laughter at their expressions.

"Lilly…" Duncan spoke first, calmly, even though his expression was strained. "What the hell is that?" He held up the object, dangling limply from his hand.

"Duncan, Duncan…" Lilly sighed, taking it from him and holding it the right way, displaying its full splendor. "Don't you know underwear when you see it?"

"I…thought maybe I saw wrong." He said weakly, starting to laugh himself. "Why?"

"Because it's your birthday?" She replied innocently.

"You're a sick, twisted girl." Logan pulled her close and kissed her neck. "Buying your boyfriend and your brother the same gift is perverse."

"Hey, it's not like I'm expecting you to share!" She protested, sending all four of them into helpless gales of alcohol-fueled mirth.

"Where," Duncan asked at last, fighting to regain control before Logan set him off again, "Lilly, where did you find…shorts with reindeer on them in September?"

"They were, like, right there. I don't know." She shrugged, and Veronica nodded. "I think Macy's were trying to start the Christmas craze earlier than everybody else this year. And they were so adorable I immediately thought of you two."

"Are you gonna wear them?" Veronica asked, mostly aiming at Duncan but with a sly look towards Logan as well.

"Not me." He declared. "When my girl buys me underwear, she expects-"

"To be able to take them off you." Lilly finished for him, making Duncan blush. "So you'll have to wear 'em, for me." She looked from one boy to the other and sighed.  
"Fine. I'll make you two a deal. We don't even mention this again, but you two wear this on Christmas. And I'll be checking."

"Do it, guys, it'll be easier." Veronica advised from the sidelines, giggling.

Logan can remember the long look he exchanged with Duncan before they simultaneously decided to surrender and nodded. "Fine, we'll do it." He agreed for both of them. "But…have Veronica check Duncan? It'd be too disgusting to think about, otherwise."

"What, you think I've never seen my brother in his undies?" Lilly snorted, "Puh-leeze. There was this one time-" Before she managed to embarrass him further, Duncan threw a handful of sand at her, and the group erupted into a full sand war. They took the shorts home wit them that night, and Logan more or less forgot about them.

Christmas that year passed by in the same blank mist of pain and memories as all the months between October and April, when he started wanting to live again, more or less. He'd worn the reindeer shorts on Christmas day without even thinking about it, his hand finding them without conscious will or purpose. For a while, he didn't even remember where they'd come from.

This year, he'd known why. And he knew that there'd be time to wear them both on Christmas day and on the night of the game, for luck. He didn't expect Christmas to be happy, no, but he could at least honor the deal they'd made with Lilly.

He knew Duncan would do the same. He didn't know how or why he was so certain of it, but he knew that Duncan, whatever pills his mother had him on, remembered that day at the beach. Through all the anger, indignation and embarrassment of stripping after that miserable poker game, he couldn't push back a tiny smile that kept wanting to come out.

"Did you guys call each other?" Sean wondered, and Logan exchanged another look with Duncan over his head. His best friend smiled a little and mouthed his sister's name. The smile finally broke through, and he turned his head away so Weevil wouldn't see.

They never needed to call.


End file.
